The present invention relates to floating dock systems and particularly to pontoons used in such systems. Different floating members (pontoons) for supporting structures in the water have long been known and used particularly for building marinas and various dock systems.
It is important to provide floating members which would, upon installation in water, provide the ability to: (1) withstand the natural abuse of the environment such as moisture, exposure to gasoline and oils present in the water of the marina, and weather conditions; (2) to provide long time durability and easy maintenance; and (3) to be rodent and crab protected.
It is also important that the pontoons provide a stable and secure support for the structure attached thereto. The prior art floating members utilize core flotation material which is usually expanded polystyrene "beadboard". Beadboard has a tendency to flake off in pieces and has a tendency to absorb water. The polystyrene core is typically covered with high density polyethylene casing.
The prior art floating members (modules) exhibit a relatively bulky structure with sidewalls tapered inwardly towards the bottom. The thickness of the tapered modules is smaller than but substantially comparable to the width. The tapered shape of the pontoons does not contribute to stability of the supported structure.
For example, for a floating member having a top wall width of about 4 feet, the width of the bottom wall would be between 3 and 31/2 feet. The thickness of the standard pontoon in the prior art was between 17 and 24 inches.
The prior art floating members are either lag bolted or strapped to the dock structure. To facilitate attachment, some floating members (pontoons) are provided with flanges around the edge of the top wall for fastening to dock structure. Sometimes recesses are incorporated along the sides of floating members offering ample wrench clearance for assembly to any metal or wood dock structure. Such methods of attaching pontoons to dock structure do not produce a very secure structure.